Appearing on Fuji TV’s PokaPoka this week, the now 55-year-old Aida recalled the chaotic but very human moment from the height of Wink’s fame.
Sitting alongside her close friend, singer-actress Shoko Haida, the pair were reminiscing about career blunders when Aida dropped this nostalgic bombshell – and immediately bowed deeply in apology.
“I’m so sorry,” she said with a laugh (and a touch of lingering guilt).
Back in the early ’90s, Wink were on an absolute tear – constant appearances, chart hits, and barely a moment to breathe.
On this particular day, the two had just arrived at their Fuji TV dressing room, only to find it eerily empty except for their costumes.
They were running on fumes – mentally and physically wiped out. That’s when it happened.
“Out of nowhere, we both just said it at the same time – ‘Wanna go to a hot spring?’” Aida recalled.
“And the next thing we knew, we were out the hallway, out the building… and straight into a taxi!”
Without telling a soul, they took off, cash in hand, and headed to the peaceful town of Ikaho, known for its soothing onsen.
No security, no entourage – just two idols escaping the madness.
They bathed, relaxed… and then reality hit. Aida finally picked up the phone and called their agency president.
His reply? A very unsettling “What’s going on…?” – enough to make anyone’s heart stop.
Through tears, she told him, “I’m so sorry! I’ll come back tomorrow!” And true to her word, she returned the next day, full of apologies.
Together with the agency president, she went to Fuji TV to make it right.
Thankfully, their co-stars and the production team were surprisingly kind – and Wink were allowed to keep appearing on the show.
Comedian Yūki Iwai from Haraiichi, who was on the studio panel, cracked, “So a two-person no-show happened even before t.A.T.u. pulled it!” – sending everyone into laughter.
Aida’s story, now safely in the “only in Japan” archives, is one of those cheeky, heartwarming blasts from the past that somehow makes you love your idols even more.
Exhausted or not – who hasn't wanted to just run off to an onsen and disappear for a day?